Chapter 11 Flashcards
bonding MO
a molecular orbital formed when wave functions are added to each other, which increases electron density between the nuclei. electrons occupying such an orbital stabilize the molecule
anti bonding MO
a molecular orbital formed when wave functions are subtracted from each other, which decreases electron density between the nuclei and leaves a node. electrons occupying such an orbital destabilize the molecule
homonuclear diatomic molecule
a molecule composed of two identical atoms
hybrid orbital
an atomic orbital postulated to form during bonding by the mathematical mixing of specific combinations of nonequivalent orbitals in a given atom
hybridization
a postulated process of orbital mixing to form hybrid orbitals
MO bond order
one-half the difference between the number of electrons in bonding MOs and the number in antibonding MOs
molecular orbital (MO)
an orbital of given energy and shape that extends over a molecule and can be occupied by no more than two paired electrons
MO diagram
a depiction of the relative energy and number of electrons in each MO, as well as the atomic orbitals from which the MOs form
MO theory
a model that describes a molecule as a collection of nuclei and electrons in which the electrons occupy orbitals that extend over the entire molecule
nonbonding MO
a molecular orbital that is not involved in bonding
pi bond
a covalent bond formed by sideways overlap of two atomic orbitals that has two regions of electron density, one above and one below the internuclear axis
pi MO
a molecular orbital formed by combination of two atomic (usually p) orbitals whose orientations are perpendicular to the internuclear axis
sigma bond
a type of covalent bond that arises through end-to-end orbital overlap and has most of its electron density along an imaginary line joining the nuclei
sigma MO
a molecular orbital that is cylindrically symmetrical about an imaginary line that runs through the nuclei of the component atoms.
sp hybrid orbital
an orbital formed by the mixing of one s and one p orbital of a central atom